“Visualize.

“Breathe.”

“Clear your mind.”

“Concentrate.”

“Damn. Why isn't this working?” Hoya thought to himself.  He sighed heavily, opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in.

There was Woohyun in the right corner of the room, in front of the mirror, making sure his hair looked okay. Star striker, crowd pleaser, fan favorite were some descriptives that were often used when talking about his teammate. Confident, bordering on cocky could also be added into that mix. He was a lot to handle but Hoya had to respect the fact that the man almost always delivered what was expected of him and did so when it counted.

Sitting opposite Woohyun was Sungyeol, their goalie whose long limbs were well suited to his role on the team.  He was the joker, the mood maker, the one unafraid to look or act silly.  In fact, at this very moment, he was doing was some kind of weird dance that looked like a cross between ‘The Running Man’ and a flying chicken.  When asked what he was doing, he gave the excuse that he was stretching.

Next to Hoya was the captain of the team and his best friend, Dongwoo.  He was the owner of a mega-watt smile.  He was the reliable leader and the most dependable scored.  He was usually restless, but on game days, he was cool and calm as a cucumber.  His friend's double nature was a fact that Hoya found amusing.

Dongwoo turned to him and asked, “You okay buddy? You looked stressed.”

“It's our season opener and it just happens to be against our biggest rivals. Shouldn't everyone feel jittery?” Hoya replied.

“I guess...” Dongwoo said with a shrug. “It's a long season though buddy. You should learn how to relax,” he added with a smile.

If only it were that easy.  Last season was the worst of Hoya's career.  He was sidelined most of last year with an injury and it was torture having to watch his teammates, his friends, struggle knowing that he couldn't do a thing to help them.  He had worked his off during the off season to make sure he would be fully ready for the upcoming one.  He built up his strength and increased his speed.  Hard work was something that Hoya was familiar with.  He couldn’t have gotten to this point in his career without a lot of effort, a lot of drive and determination.  He had paid his dues and was now enjoying the fruits of his labor. “Relax” was not a word he had in his vocabulary.  Dongwoo knew this and it was a sore point that his friend liked poking for fun.

“Yeah, yeah...I know,” Hoya replied as he punched his friend in the arm.

Coach called them to assemble.

“It’s game time.”

“Let's go Hoya.  And as they say, let the games begin...” Dongwoo said with a smile.